Counterterrorism Blog

Yesterday, a Scottish jury at the High Court in Glasgow returned a verdict convicting Mohammed Atif Siddique--a 21-year old homegrown extremist thought intent on becoming a suicide bomber--of a series of terrorist offenses, including the possession and distribution of terrorist propaganda material via websites and providing instructional material about guns and explosives over the Internet. In reaction to the verdict, the sitting justice Lord Carloway made several brief remarks, directly addressing the defendant Siddique: "You have been convicted of significant contraventions of the Terrorism Act, in particular on charge one of having articles in your possession for the commission, preparation or instigation of an act of terrorism. The court must take these offenses extremely seriously."

In June 2006, I was formally requested by the Central Scotland Police to review and assess the significance of materials recovered from digital storage media found in the possession of Mohammed Siddique and now-defunct Internet websites he was responsible for creating. In an 18-page report filed on behalf of Crown Prosecutors, I concluded that Siddique's collection of online propaganda constituted "a formidable archive of authentic Al-Qaida recruitment and technical material that is designed and likely to be used for purposes relating to the commission, perpetration, or instigation of an act of terrorism—most specifically, a suicide or 'martyrdom' operation."

In fact, the material collected by Siddique was a virtual encyclopedia of terrorist knowledge acquired over time by Al-Qaida and its associates. It was also a remarkable who's-who lineup of some of the most high profile figures in the "homegrown terrorism" market hailing from Al-Qaida's military leadership. Though Western academics have tended to focus on the much-vaunted role of Abu Musab al-Suri (a.k.a. Mustafa Setmariam Nasar) in this respect, actual case studies are consistently demonstrating that the teachings of other competing strategists have been far more influential in Al-Qaida circles, arguably none more so than those published by the late Saudi Al-Qaida commander Shaykh Youssef al-Ayyiri. Known to his supporters as “the Swift Sword,” al-Ayyiri (a.k.a. “Al-Battar”) reportedly first joined the Arab mujahideen fighting in Afghanistan at age 18. Impressed by his enthusiasm and skills as a combatant, Al-Qaida claimed to have granted Al-Ayyiri a position of high importance as the commander of a training camp in Afghanistan. Before long, Al-Qaida judged al-Ayyiri to be a “seasoned military man… a genius and theorizer who served jihad… He is an inspired genius and a miracle of the age. Had he been in another nation, they would not have made him walk on the ground. They would have carried him on their heads.” Al-Ayyiri authored several notable theoretical works on terrorism (distributed in electronic form over Al-Qaida's first official Internet website "Al-Neda"), including “Sacrifice Operations: Suicide or Martyrdom?” and “The Moscow Theater Operation and Its Benefits for the Mujahideen.” According to another digital magazine later distributed by Al-Qaida in Saudi Arabia, when al-Ayyiri learned of the September 11, 2001 suicide hijackings in New York and Washington D.C., he “was so joyous he nearly floated on air.” A subsequent Al-Qaida propaganda video released in late 2003 contained audio messages from al-Ayyiri. Amidst scenes of suicide bombers preparing for their mission in Saudi Arabia, al-Ayyiri can be heard explaining:

“In the first stage, the stage of attrition and engaging the enemy in battle, you need to make your enemy tired more than you need to kill a large number of its members. You need to scatter the enemy, demoralize it, spread it out over a large area, and cause it to get tired. If the enemy is spread out, it will need supply armies and a lot of other things. You need to make the enemy reach this stage. In this stage, you should strike, run, and disappear. Strike at the weak points.”

When criticized for launching suicide bomb attacks inside Saudi Arabia—the heartland of conservative Islam—al-Ayyiri responded, “Whoever asks why in [Saudi Arabia] should ask himself—if he was honest—why in Chechnya, why in Kabul, why in Jerusalem, why in Bali, and why in Mombassa. These countries are ruled by agent Karzai-type rulers and occupied by Americans or Jews who are considered infidels and untrustworthy in Allah’s book.” Moreover, according to al-Ayyiri, “this war is based on a strategy to widen the battlefield. The entire world has become a battlefield in practice and not in theory.” An English translation of al-Ayyiri’s reply to his critics was found in the possession of Mohammed Siddique in Scotland along with a score of other documents written or published by al-Ayyiri, a number of which were likewise translated into English--such as “Constants on The Path of Jihad” and “The Islamic Ruling on the Permissibility of Self-Sacrifical Operations: Suicide, or Martyrdom?”—wherein, al-Ayyiri wrote:

“Martyrdom or self-sacrifice operations are those performed by one or more people, against enemies far exceeding them in numbers and equipment, with prior knowledge that the operations will almost inevitably lead to death. The form this usually takes nowadays is to wire up one’s body, vehicle, or suitcase, with explosives, and then to enter amongst a gathering of the enemy, or in their vital facilities, and to detonate in an appropriate place there in order to cause the maximum losses in the enemy ranks, taking advantage of the element of surprise and penetration… We have found, through the course of our experience, that there is no other technique which strikes as much terror into their hearts and which shatters their spirit as much… On the material level, these operations inflict the heaviest losses on the enemy, and are lowest in cost to us. The cost of equipment is negligible in comparison to the assault… The human casualty is a single life, who is in fact a martyr and hero who has gone ahead to the Gardens of Eternity… As for the enemy, their losses are high.”

Yousef al-Ayyiri was finally killed in mid-2003 during a fierce clash with Saudi security forces after masterminding a series of suicide bomb attacks in the Saudi capital Riyadh. The local Al-Qaida leadership vacuum was quickly filled by one of al-Ayyiri’s top lieutenants, Saudi national Abdelaziz al-Muqrin (a.k.a. Abu Hajer al-Najdi), a 33-year old Al-Qaida operative with over 15 years of experience among the mujahideen. The degree to which al-Muqrin influenced Al-Qaida’s global tactics and operations is quite clearly evidenced by the material collected by defendant Mohammed Atif Siddique—among them, no less than 27 separate digital images of al-Muqrin at various stages of his life (including many photos of his body after he was killed by Saudi security forces in June 2004). Al-Muqrin is perhaps best known for his role as the masked executioner in the video-recorded beheading of U.S. hostage Paul Marshal Johnson Jr. (which was subsequently distributed by Al-Qaida via the Internet).

Much like his former mentor al-Ayyiri, Abdelaziz al-Muqrin was a firm believer in using the web in order to disseminate everything from firsthand accounts of terrorist operations to detailed instructions on how to capture or kill Western tourists and diplomats. Scottish police seized an English translation in the possession of Mohammed Siddique of a memorandum authored by al-Muqrin titled, “Appendix: To All Desiring Jihad In The Lands Of The Arab Peninsula.” In his letter, al-Muqrin explained what his intentions were by distributing such documents:

“Certainly the Mujahidin of al-Qaidah are keen on guiding the Muslim community towards realizing such acts by way of Jihadist publications, booklets, and Jihadist reference works… through these books, [those seeking jihad] can discover the way to operate and study the best ways and policies listed there for the purpose of achieving our objective and realizing our goals. [These publications] give us a summary of the method and provide us with the experiences of those prior to us. Those in the know are aware that al Qaidah is an organization which utilizes a system of cells… Qaedat al-Jihad [the Jihad of al-Qaidah] pursues the publication of the concept [of Jihad] and spreads the word to the greatest extent possible while the various, disparate cells guarantee—Allah willing—the greater continuity of [carrying out the Jihad].”

Moreover, according to the translation of al-Muqrin’s memo recovered from Siddique, the duty of carrying out jihad and establishing Muslim rule is “incumbent upon every legal aged adult including the scholars and public, the righteous and the immoral, the rich and poor, men and women; for it is absolutely necessary that people understand that this obligation isn’t restricted to the wanted 19 or 26 [referring to Al-Qaida fugitives in Saudi Arabia].” He concluded, “One’s duty, then, is the undertaking, endeavor and pioneering, of the obligation of Jihad for Allah’s sake. The Muslim should not seek to rely on a few Mujahidin, but rather direct his [own] efforts toward this [obligation].”

Of course, Al-Ayyiri and Al-Muqrin are not the only Al-Qaida figures who have provided great inspiration to homegrown terrorist cells. Indeed, in the world of contemporary self-radicalized "third generation" terrorists, perhaps no single individual has been a more highly visible icon than the late Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian founder of Al-Qaida's network in Iraq. Demonstrating the extent of that influence, searches by Scottish police during Operation Niche recovered almost two dozen photos of the deceased Al-Qaida leader Zarqawi and several others paying homage to his former deputy commander Jordanian national Abu Anas al-Shami (who was killed in a U.S. air strike in September 2004). However, the most noteworthy piece of Zarqawi propaganda in the materials seized by Scotland Central Police was an English-subtitled copy of the Al-Qaida in Iraq propaganda video, “The Expedition of Omar Hadid.” The video was first released in Arabic on October 8, 2005 and was named in honor of fallen Iraqi Al-Qaida commander Omar Hadid (a.k.a. Abu Khattab al-Falluji). It purports to document the stories of Al-Qaida suicide bombers in Iraq, including a young Libyan national using the pseudonym “Abu Dharr.” Abu Dharr eagerly explains to the camera:

“I wish to say to the brothers, to all of the mujahideen, it is obligatory upon you to continue with these martyrdom operations, because they are—by Allah—the things that affect and massacre the Americans the most, and we ask Allah for guidance in this martyrdom operation, and it is the way to the Gardens [of Paradise] and it is the quickest way to the Highest Level of [Paradise], by the Will of Allah, and [God-willing] we will be guided, and [God-willing] we will cause great damage and pain to these infidel Americans and to those who ally themselves with them… We ask Allah to create severe pain and damage amongst the ranks of the Americans, the infidels, and those who ally with them… By Allah, nothing will elevate [Islam], nothing will bring it honor except for Jihad in the Path of Allah, and the strongest Jihad in the Path of Allah in our current times are these martyrdom operations… And I wish to say to my Muslim brothers in all parts of the world, as well as to my brothers from the mujahideen: it is upon you to take this path, since it is—by Allah—the path of honor, and it is—by Allah—the path of miracles… Allahu Akhbar! Allahu Akhbar! Allahu Akhbar! I want to say to America and the helpers of America and the allies of America that we are marching towards you with men who love to die just as much as you love to live! So, by Allah, and by the Will of Allah, the Victory of Islam is coming, and the Honor of Islam is coming at the hands of these martyrs.”

In addition to the testimony and encouragement from other suicide recruits, the “Expedition of Omar Hadid” also features excerpts of a song being performed by members of Zarqawi’s Al-Baraa bin Malik Martyrdom Brigade in Iraq (responsible for executing suicide attacks). The men giddily chant in unison:

“Shaykh Abu Musab [al-Zarqawi] has raised the banner, and Shaykh Abu Musab [al-Zarqawi] has raised the banner. Our commander is Bin Laden, O' you who terrorizes America. Our power is our [faith] and our weapon is our PK [Kalashnikov]... Our leader is the Mullah [Omar], he has not abandoned his religion. All the warriors have sold their souls to Allah. Every warrior has sold his soul to Allah. If they say ‘terrorist’, then I say this is an honor for me. Our terrorism is praiseworthy, a divine call. Our terrorism is praiseworthy, a divine call. Iraqi police: apostasy and hypocrisy. We have come to you to slaughter you—no, no negotiations. We have come to you to slaughter you—no, no negotiations. We destroyed America with a civilian plane. The World Trade tower is simply a pile of rubble. The World Trade tower is simply a pile of rubble.”

At first glance, Mohammed Siddique might seem to be a reasonably poor candidate as an international terrorist. Young, confrontational, and undoubtedly naive, Siddique apparently lacked in the skills, sophistication, lengthy credentials, and cold-blooded professionalism usually attributed to organized terrorism. Unfortunately, as other recent troubling events in Glasgow and London have unequivocally demonstrated, we no longer live in an era dominated by the monolithic threat of intricately-planned "organized terrorism." In this unusual era, even an entire team of highly trained and experienced field operatives can sometimes have a lesser ultimate impact than a single, well-placed novice fanatic with an unwavering commitment to leave this world in a final orgy of violence. Anyone who doubts the veracity of this conclusion need only speak to the horrified bystanders who were eyewitnesses to the scene that unfolded at Glasgow International Airport on the afternoon of June 30, 2007.